System and method for implementing a user interface for use with Japanese characters

ABSTRACT

A system and method for implementing a user interface for use with Japanese characters includes a font-encoder compiler on a host computer for encoding selected text strings and creating custom fonts, and further includes an electronic device which contains a standard font and a font manager. The font manager selectively accesses the standard font and the custom fonts to display the encoded text strings on the user interface of the electronic device. Specific characters may be selected by entering a hierarchical text edit dialog, choosing a character category, selecting an articulation group and then choosing a specific character from the selected articulation group.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 08/955,788, filedOct. 22, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,966 B1, and assigned of record toFlashpoint Technology, Inc., of Peterborough, N.H.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to user interfaces for electronicdevices and relates more particularly to a system and method forimplementing a user interface for use with Japanese characters.

2. Description of the Background Art

The efficient implementation of user interfaces is an importantconsideration for designers, manufacturers and users of electronicdevices and systems. To achieve maximum effectiveness, a user interfacemay advantageously display information to a system user in the user'sprimary language. The English language is generally written using analphabet of twenty-six letters derived from the Romans. Other writtenlanguages, however, may employ significantly greater numbers of writtencharacters. An example of a written language that requires a relativelylarge number of written characters is the Japanese language.

Japanese typically utilizes several different writing systems inconjunction with each other to form a single unified written languagesystem. For example, Hiragana and Katakana are parallel phonetic systemsthat each use over forty different characters. Hiragana is usedprimarily to write words of Japanese origin, while Katakana is usedprimarily to write words of non-Japanese origin. In addition, Kanji isan ideographic system of writing which utilizes thousands of differentcharacters which each typically correspond to a specific Japanese word.Furthermore, modern written Japanese occasionally incorporates foreignwords written in the previously-mentioned standard Roman alphabet.

From the foregoing discussion, it is apparent that languages likeJapanese typically utilize a significantly greater number of writtencharacters than languages like English which require only the twenty-sixletters of the Roman alphabet. Therefore, implementing a Japanese userinterface to support an extended number of written characters willrequire special system design considerations to effectively andefficiently convey written information to a system user.

For example, conventional Japanese fonts typically are encoded using atwo-byte digital encoding method to accommodate the large number ofcharacters. In contrast, fonts that use only the Roman characters may beencoded using only one byte of digital information. The double-byteencoding thus requires substantially greater system memory to containthe encoded Japanese fonts. The increased memory requirements have adetrimental economic impact on system manufacturing costs. The greaterphysical size of an increased-capacity memory may also present designproblems in implementing small-sized or portable electronic devices.

Furthermore, many computer programming languages (for example, the Cprogramming language) are designed for use with single-byte text stringencoding systems. A double-byte encoding system thus adds significantcomplexity to the overall development process because many standardsoftware routines would then have to be rewritten to achieve softwarecompatibility.

A small-sized electronic device may typically have a limited keyboard orother input device for selecting and inputting Japanese characters. Sucha limited input device may frequently lack sufficient input keys andfeatures to efficiently view and select characters from among thesubstantial number of possible choices found in written Japanese.

Prior art solutions to the foregoing problems have included electronicdevices that supported an extended range of Japanese written characterswith the associated problems discussed above. Alternatively, other priorart electronic devices have severely restricted the supported Japanesecharacter set to only a small subset of written Japanese characters(Hiragana only, for example). Therefore, for the reasons discussed inthe foregoing section, an improved system and method are needed toimplement a user interface for use with Japanese characters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a system and method aredisclosed to implement a user interface for use with Japanesecharacters. More specifically, the present invention includes a systemand method for encoding Japanese characters for efficient storage in anelectronic device.

Initially, a standard font is encoded and stored in a digital dataformat using a host computer. Selected text strings are input to thehost computer using a computer keyboard or other such input device. Inthe preferred embodiment, when the host computer initially receives theselected text strings, they are encoded in a standard double-bytedigital data format.

Next, a font-encoder compiler program in the host computer sequentiallyencodes the selected text strings to produce a corresponding output filecontaining the encoded text strings in a single-byte digital dataformat. The font-encoder compiler also creates a series of custom fontsin accordance with the present invention.

In practice, the font-encoder compiler sequentially examines eachcharacter in the selected text strings to determine whether eachexamined character is already contained within the standard font or anypreviously-created custom fonts. If an examined character is alreadylisted, then the font-encoder compiler encodes a location referencepointing to the previously-created font location of the examinedcharacter, and then examines the next character in the selected textstring.

If, however, the examined character is not already listed in thestandard font or any previously-created custom fonts, then thefont-encoder compiler determines the optimal location for storing thenew character into the custom fonts. The font-encoder compiler mayeither add the new character to an empty location within an existingcustom font, or may create a new custom font to contain the newcharacter and other subsequent new characters. The encoded text strings,the standard font and the custom fonts are then provided to theelectronic device. A font manager in the electronic device may thenselectively access the standard font and the custom fonts to display theencoded texts strings on the user interface.

The present invention also includes a system and method for enabling auser to input character selections into the electronic device. Inpractice, a user of the electronic device initially enters a text editmode to display the basic text edit dialog on the user interface. Then,the user chooses a character category which is preferably displayed in afirst-level selection menu. In the preferred embodiment, charactercategories include upper and lower case Roman, Arabic numerals,Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

If the user selects Hiragana or Katakana, then a desired articulationgroup is next selected from the first-level selection menu. The user maylocate the desired articulation group by scrolling through thefirst-level selection menu until a character representing the desiredarticulation group is within a fixed-position selection window. Finally,the user chooses a specific character from the selected articulationgroup which appears in a second-level selection menu displayed on theuser interface. In practice, the user may position a moveable selectionwindow to select the desired character. Therefore, the present inventionmore efficiently and effectively implements a user interface for usewith Japanese characters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a conventional vowel-articulation matrix;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment for an electronic device, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment for the memory of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment for the fonts of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is a drawing of the preferred embodiment for the standard fontof FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a drawing of the preferred embodiment for the modifier fontof FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of one embodiment for the user interface ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of method steps for implementing a user interfacefor use with Japanese characters, according to the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a drawing of one embodiment of a text-edit dialog, accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a drawing of a sequence of first-level selection menus,according to the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a drawing of one embodiment of a text-edit dialog, accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 8D is a drawing of a sequence of first-level selection menus,according to the present invention;

FIG. 9A is a drawing of one embodiment of a text-edit dialog, accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 9B is a drawing of a sequence of first-level and second-levelselection menus, according to the present invention;

FIG. 9C is a drawing of one embodiment of a text-edit dialog, accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 9D is a drawing of one embodiment of a text-edit dialog, accordingto the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of method steps for selecting Japanese characterswith the user interface of FIG. 6, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to an improvement in user interfaces forelectronic devices. The following description is presented to enable oneof ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and isprovided in the context of a patent application and its requirements.Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles hereinmay be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and features describedherein.

The present invention includes a system and method for implementing auser interface for use with a hierarchical language, for example theJapanese language. The invention comprises a system and method forencoding selected text strings and creating custom fonts on a hostcomputer, and a system and method for allowing a user to inputcharacters from the hierarchical language into the electronic device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a drawing of a conventional vowel-articulationmatrix 710 is shown. The vowel-articulation matrix 710 shows ahierarchical system which subdivides the Japanese Hiragana charactersinto discrete subsets called articulation groups. Matrix 710 is used inJapanese education to effectively provide an organizational structurefor associating character groups to corresponding phonetic syllables tothereby facilitate learning written Japanese.

In FIG. 1, matrix 710 corresponds to Hiragana characters, however, asimilar system may readily be used for Katakana characters. Matrix 710includes a vowel index column 714 containing the vowels a, i, u, e ando, and also includes an articulation index row 712 containing thearticulations—(no articulation), k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, and w. EachHiragana phonetic syllable may thus be identified by finding anarticulation sound from index 712 and then adding a vowel sound fromindex 714. For example, in matrix 710, the Hiragana character 752corresponds to the phonetic syllable “ha”, and the Hiragana character754 corresponds to the phonetic syllable “he”

Matrix 710 also includes a series of articulation groups shown invertical columns 726 through 748. Each articulation group corresponds toone of the ten representative articulations found in articulation indexrow 712. Each articulation group includes a maximum of five characterseach corresponding to one of the five vowel sounds found in vowel indexcolumn 714. As illustration, an exemplary articulation group is circledand numbered 750 in FIG. 1. As another example, characters 752 and 754are both located within the articulation group of column 736. Columns726 through 748 of matrix 710 thus each form a discrete and individualarticulation group.

The present invention thus utilizes a hierarchical approach to selectfrom a relatively large number of characters while using a userinterface device that uses a reduced number of input keys. Essentially,the characters are divided into articulation groups for a firstselection process and then a final selection may be made from a smallerand more manageable number of character choices. In alternateembodiments, the present invention may readily be utilized to selectfrom various choices other than the Hiragana characters discussed inconjunction with the preferred embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of one embodiment for anelectronic device 110 is shown, in accordance with the presentinvention. In the FIG. 2 embodiment, electronic device 110 comprises acentral processing unit (CPU) 112, an input/output interface (I/O) 116,a memory 118 and a user interface 120. Each element of electronic device110 preferably has an input and an output coupled to a common system bus122.

Memory 118 may alternately comprise various storage deviceconfigurations, including, but not limited to, Random-Access Memory(RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), and non-volatile storage devices such asfloppy disks and hard disk drives. In the preferred embodiment,electronic device 110 is a small-sized, portable electronic device, suchas a digital camera or a personal digital assistant (PDA). In otherembodiments, electronic device 110 may alternately be implemented as anytype and size of electronic device or system which includes or utilizesa user interface 120.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of one embodiment for memory118 of FIG. 2 is shown. In an embodiment where electronic device 110 isa digital camera or a PDA, memory 118 preferably includes a controlapplication 210, a font manager 212, a menu dialog manager 214, selectedfonts 216 and an operating system 218. In the FIG. 3 embodiment, controlapplication 210 is a software program which controls the high-leveloperation and functionality of electronic device 110.

Font manager 212 is a software module which is executed by CPU 112 todisplay Japanese characters on user interface 120 in accordance with thepresent invention. Font manager 212 is further discussed below inconjunction with FIG. 7. Menu dialog manager 214 is a software modulewhich controls and coordinates the use and operation of user interface120 in electronic device 110.

Fonts 216 contain sets of characters for display on user interface 120of electronic device 110. The creation and structure of fonts 216 arefurther described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4, 5A, 5B and 7.Operating system 218 is a software routine which controls theinitialization and basic low-level functionality of electronic device110.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of one embodiment for fonts 216of FIG. 3 is shown. In the FIG. 4 embodiment, fonts 214 include astandard font 310 which is further described below in conjunction withFIG. 5A, and a modifier font 312 which is further described below inconjunction with FIG. 5B. Fonts 214 also preferably include a series ofcustom fonts 314 which FIG. 4 illustrates as custom font 1 (314(a))through custom font “N” 314(b). Custom fonts 314 of FIG. 4 are furtherdiscussed below in conjunction with FIG. 7.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, a drawing of the preferred embodiment forstandard font 310 of FIG. 5A is shown. Standard font 310 preferablycontains those characters supported as standard characters withinelectronic device 110. In the preferred embodiment, standard font 310may contain up to 255 characters which each may be encoded as a singledigital byte of information.

In FIG. 5A, standard font 310 is shown with a column location index 410and a row location index 412. In practice, the location of any charactermay be identified by using characters from column location index 410 androw location index 412. For example, the location of an upper-caseletter “O” is identified by the number “4” from column location index410 and the letter “F” from row location index 412.

In the FIG. 5A embodiment, standard font 310 includes the following: atwo-column section 414 containing Hiragana characters and selectedsymbols; a six-column section 416 containing Roman letters, Arabicnumbers and selected symbols; a two-column section 418 containing moreHiragana characters and selected symbols; a four-column section 420containing Katakana characters and selected symbol; a one-column section422 containing selected symbols; and a one-column section containingselected Kanji characters 424. In alternate embodiments, standard font310 may readily be implemented using other characters and symbols, inaccordance with the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, a drawing of the preferred embodiment formodifier font 312 of FIG. 4 is shown. Modifier font 312 is also shownwith a column location index 410 and a row location index 412, asdiscussed above in conjunction with FIG. 5A. In the preferredembodiment, each location of. modifier font 312 is associated with acorresponding location on standard font 310. In practice, each characterin modifier font 312 features a slight modification of the correspondingcharacter in standard font 310. Each modified character from modifierfont 312 thus indicates a slight change in the pronunciation of themodified character, as compared to the standard character from standardfont 310. The modified characters in modifier font 312 include modifiersof the Dakuon, Handakuon and Youon types.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an elevation view of one embodiment for userinterface 120 of FIG. 2 is shown. In the FIG. 6 embodiment, userinterface 120 includes a four-way navigation control button 510, adisplay 512, and a set of keys 514, 516 and 518. Four-way navigationcontrol button 510 preferably includes an up button 520, a left button522, a right button 524 and a down button 526. In the preferredembodiment, display 512 is a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, inalternate embodiment, display 512 may be implemented using any othertype of appropriate and effective display technology. Similarly, theinput controls of user interface 120 may readily be implemented usingvarious other configurations than that shown in FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart of method steps for implementing auser interface 120 for use with Japanese characters is shown, inaccordance with the present invention. Initially, in step 610, astandard font 310 and a modifier font 312 are created on a host computerand are each preferably encoded and stored in a digital data format. Inthe preferred embodiment, standard font 310 is implemented as previouslydiscussed in conjunction with FIG. 6A, and modifier font 312 isimplemented as previously discussed in conjunction with FIG. 6B.However, in alternate embodiments, standard font 310 and modifier font312 may readily be implemented using various other effective fontconfigurations.

In step 612, selected text strings are input to the host computer usinga computer keyboard or other input device. The text strings typicallyare selected for future display on user interface 120 and are intendedfor effective user communication with electronic device 110. In thepreferred embodiment, when the host computer initially receives theselected text strings, they are encoded in double-byte digital dataformat. Next, in step 614, a font-encoder compiler in the host computersequentially encodes the selected text strings to produce acorresponding output file containing the text strings encoded into asingle-byte digital data format. One skilled in the art would appreciatehow to create such a font-encoder compiler. The font-encoder compileralso creates a series of custom fonts 314 (FIG. 4) in accordance withthe present invention.

In practice, the font-encoder compiler sequentially examines eachcharacter in the selected text strings to determine whether eachexamined character is already contained within fonts 216 (standard font310, modifier font 312 or any previously-created custom fonts 314). Ifan examined character is already listed within fonts 216, then thefont-encoder compiler encodes a location reference pointing to thepreviously-created font location of the examined character, and thensequentially examines the next character in the selected text string. Inthe preferred embodiment, the font-encoder compiler may encode theforegoing location reference to include a specific font identifiernumber and an individual character location within the specified font.

If, however, the examined character is not is already listed in standardfont 310, modifier font 312, or any previously-created custom fonts 314,then the font-encoder compiler determines the next available locationfor storing the new character into custom fonts 314. If no emptylocations are available within an existing custom font 314, thefont-encoder compiler creates a new custom font 314 to contain the newcharacter and other subsequent characters not contained within fonts216. The foregoing process thus advantageously prevents storage ofduplicate characters within fonts 216 and significantly conservesstorage space within memory 118.

In step 616, the encoded text strings are transferred from the hostcomputer to electronic device 110. In the preferred embodiment, theencoded text strings may be stored in font manager 212 within memory118. Standard font 310, modifier font 312 and custom fonts 314 are alsotransferred from the host computer to electronic device 110. In thepreferred embodiment, standard font 310, modifier font 312 and customfonts 314 may be stored in fonts 216 within memory 118. In step 618,electronic device 110 uses font manager 212 to display the encoded textsstrings on user interface 120 of electronic device 110. Alternately,electronic device 110 may receive character selections from a user viauser interface 120 and responsively display the selected characters onuser interface 120. The foregoing user input methodology is furtherdescribed below in conjunction with FIG. 10.

In practice, font manager 212 preferably receives a request for aparticular text string from menu dialog manager 214. In response, fontmanager 212 sequentially reads the corresponding encoded text string(originally received from the font-encoder compiler), and then accessesand retrieves each character of the encoded text string from theappropriate one of fonts 216. As discussed above, each encoded textstring contains location information for each character to identify theunique character location within standard font 310, modifier font 312and custom fonts 314. Font manager 212 then provides the retrievedcharacters of the requested text string to menu dialog manager 214 fordisplay on user interface 120 of electronic device 110.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a flowchart of method steps for selectingJapanese characters is shown, in accordance with the present invention.During the course of following discussion of FIG. 10, reference willperiodically be also made to FIGS. 8A through 8D and to FIGS. 9A through9D.

In step 1010, a user of electronic device 110 initially selects andenters a text edit mode to display a basic text-edit dialog (FIG. 8A) ondisplay 512 of user interface 120. The text-edit dialog includes afirst-level selection menu 812 and a fixed-position selection window814.

Then, in step 1012, the user chooses a character category. The selectedcharacter category is preferably displayed in first-level selection menu812. In the preferred embodiment, key 514 of user interface 120 may beused to change character categories. Referring now to FIG. 8B, theinitial default character category is preferably upper-case Romancharacters 812(a). In the preferred embodiment, one push of key 514changes first-level selection menu 810 to lower-case Roman characters812(b), and two pushes of key 514 changes first-level selection menu 810to Arabic numerals 812(c). Three pushes of key 514 changes first-levelselection menu 810 to Hiragana 812(d), four pushes of key 514 changesfirst-level selection menu 810 to Katakana (812(e), and five pushes ofkey 514 changes first-level selection menu 810 to Kanji characters812(f). In alternate embodiments, various other character groups andgroup selection sequences are likewise equally possible for effectivelychoosing a character category.

Next, in step 1014 of FIG. 10, the user selects a desired articulationgroup. In this and the remaining FIG. 10 steps, for purposes ofillustration, it will be presumed that, in step 1012, Hiragana waschosen as the desired character category, as shown in FIG. 8C.First-level selection menu 812 of FIG. 8C therefore displays theHiragana character category. In practice, after the user selects theHiragana character category, one representative character from eachHiragana articulation group becomes available via first-level selectionmenu 812. In the preferred embodiment, the representative charactersavailable via first-level selection menu 812 are also those charactersshown in horizontal row 716 of vowel-articulation matrix 710 (FIG. 1).As an illustration of the foregoing, the fixed-position selection window814 of FIG. 8C contains a Hiragana character for the phonetic syllable“a” of vowel-articulation matrix 710 (FIG. 1).

The user may therefore locate the desired articulation group byscrolling through first-level selection menu 812 until a characterrepresenting the desired articulation group is within fixed-positionselection window 814. In practice, the contents of first-level selectionmenu 812 may be scrolled towards the top of first-level selection menu812 by using up button 520, and may be scrolled toward the bottom offirst-level selection menu 812 by using down button 526 of userinterface 120 (FIG. 6). The process of scrolling characters towards thetop of first-level window 812 is illustrated in FIG. 8D in whichfixed-position window 814(a) of first-level menu 812(d) initiallycontains the character for the syllable “a”. In the preferredembodiment, a first push of up button 520 places the character for thesyllable “ka” within fixed-position window 814(b). A second push of upbutton 520 places the character for the syllable “sa” withinfixed-position window 814(c). A third push of up button 520 places thecharacter for the syllable “ta” within fixed-position window 814(d).When the desired articulation group is represented by a characterlocated within fixed-position window 814, then the selected articulationgroup may preferably be selected using right button 524 of userinterface 120.

In step 1016, the user chooses a specific character from the selectedarticulation group. In the preferred embodiment, when the desiredarticulation group is selected in step 1014, then a second-levelselection menu is added to the text-edit dialog on user interface 120,as illustrated in FIG. 9A. The second-level selection menu 912preferably displays all the characters from the selected articulationgroup (which is one of the Hiragana articulation groups discussedpreviously in conjunction with FIG. 1). Second-level selection menu 912preferably includes a moveable selection window 914.

The user may then position the specific desired character withinmoveable selection window 914 and press right button 524 to select thedesired character. In practice, moveable selection window 914 maypreferably be scrolled towards the top of second-level menu 912 by usingup button 520, and may be scrolled towards the bottom of second-levelmenu 912 by using down button 526 of user interface 120 (FIG. 6).

For example, FIG. 9B shows moveable selection window 914(a) positionedaround the top character in second-level selection menu 912. A firstpush of down button 526 scrolls moveable selection window 914(b) downone position to encompass the character for the syllable “ti”. A secondpush of down button 526 scrolls moveable selection window 914(c) downone more position to encompass the character for the syllable “tu”.

In the preferred embodiment, the character contained in moveableselection window 914 may then be input to device 110 by pressing rightbutton 524 of user interface 120. The selected character 920 is thenresponsively displayed on user interface 120, as shown in FIG. 9C.

Finally, in step 1018, if the user desires to input more characters, theFIG. 10 process returns to step 1012. In the preferred embodiment, theuser pushes the left button 522 to input more characters and thesecond-level selection menu 914 disappears from the text-edit dialog ofuser interface 120, as shown in FIG. 9D. A second push of left button522 will delete the input character 920. If, however, no furthercharacters remain to be input, then the FIG. 10 process ends.

An additional feature of the present invention is available during step1016 of FIG. 10. Once a selected articulation group is displayed insecond-level selection menu 912, then key 516 of user interface 120 maybe used to alter the standard characters from the selected articulationgroup to corresponding modified characters from modifier font 312. Inpractice, pressing key 516 once changes the standard characters for theselected articulation group into conventional Dakuon characters,pressing key 516 twice changes the standard characters into conventionalHandakuon characters and pressing key 516 three times changes thestandard characters into conventional Youon (Hatsuon) characters.

The FIG. 10 method thus utilizes a hierarchical approach to select froma relatively large number of characters while using a somewhat limiteduser interface device. Essentially, the characters are divided intoarticulation groups for a first selection process and then a finalselection may be made from a smaller and more manageable number ofcharacter choices. In alternate embodiments, the present invention mayreadily be utilized to select from various choices other than theHiragana characters discussed in conjunction with FIG. 10.

The invention has been explained above with reference to a preferredembodiment. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in theart in light of this disclosure. For example, the present invention mayreadily be implemented using configurations other than those describedin the preferred embodiment above. Additionally, the present inventionmay effectively be used in conjunction with systems and languages otherthan the one described above as the preferred embodiment. Therefore,these and other variations upon the preferred embodiments are intendedto be covered by the present invention, which is limited only by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for implementing a user interface fordisplaying selected characters from a hierarchical language in ahand-held electronic device having a display, comprising: a standardfont of standard characters to be displayed on said hand-held electronicdevice; selected text strings to be displayed in said user interface ofsaid hand-held electronic device, said text strings being in two-byteformat; and a font-encoder compiler in a host computer, saidfont-encoder compiler including: means for encoding said selected textstrings as single-byte encoded strings and creating one or more customfonts of characters from said standard font and said selected textstrings, said custom fonts created by examining each character in saidselected text strings to determine whether each character is alreadypresent within set of fonts that are to be downloaded into saidhand-held electronic device, said set of fonts that are to be downloadedincluding said standard font and said one or more custom fonts createdby said font encoder compiler, wherein if an examined character isalready present, encoding a location reference pointing to aprevious-created font location of said examined character in said set offonts, and if said examined character is not present, then determining anext available location in said set of fonts for storing said examinedcharacter, whereby storage of duplicate characters is prevented; andmeans for encoding custom font characters of said selected text stringsas single-byte encoded strings using said custom fonts, wherein saidstandard font, said one or more custom fonts, and said encoded stringsare downloaded to and stored on said hand-held electronic device,wherein the standard font and one or more custom fonts are selectivelyaccessed for display of the encoded strings during user operation of theelectronic device.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said hierarchicallanguage is Japanese and said standard font includes a complete set ofHiragana characters, a complete set of Katakana characters, a completeset of Roman characters and a subset of Kanji characters.
 3. The systemof claim 2 further comprising a modifier font containing modifiedcharacters from said standard font.
 4. The system of claim 3 whereinsaid user interface in said hand-held electronic device is for a digitalcamera.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the characters in thesingle-byte text strings, encoded by the means for encoding, representthe same characters as the corresponding characters in the two-byte textstrings.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the standard font consists ofcharacters in a single-byte format.
 7. A method for implementing a userinterface for displaying selected characters from a hierarchicallanguage in a hand-held electronic device having a display, comprisingsaid steps of: providing a standard font of standard characters to bedisplayed on said hand-held electronic device; selecting text strings tobe displayed in said user interface of said hand-held electronic device,said text strings being in two-byte format; inputting said standard fontand said selected text strings into a font-encoder compiler in a hostcomputer; using said font-encode compiler to encode said selected textstrings as single-byte encoded strings and create a custom font ofcharacters included in said text strings by, examining each character insaid selected text strings to determine whether each character isalready present within a set of fonts that are to be downloaded intosaid hand-held electronic device, said set of fonts to be downloadedincluding said standard font and said custom font; if an examinedcharacter is already present, using said font-encoder compiler to encodea location reference pointing to a previously-created font location ofsaid examined character in said set of fonts; if said examined characteris not present, then determining a next available location in said setof fonts for storing said examined character, whereby storage ofduplicate characters is prevented, and using said custom font to encodecustom font characters of said selected text strings as single-byteencoded strings; and providing said standard font, said custom font, andsaid encoded strings for download to and storage on said hand-heldelectronic device, wherein said standard font and said custom font areselectively accessed for display of the encoded strings during useroperation of the electronic device.
 8. The method of claim 7 whereinsaid standard font includes a complete set of Hiragana characters, acomplete set of Katakana characters, a complete set of Roman charactersand a subset of Kanji characters.
 9. The method of claim 8 furthercomprising a modifier font containing modified characters from saidstandard font.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the stepsof: providing a font manager in said hand-held electronic device forselectably accessing said standard characters and said custom charactersto display said text strings on said user interface, the selectableaccessing of said characters from said hierarchical language being madeby accessing successive menu levels of said hierarchical structure by,allowing a user to select a text edit dialog on said user interface;allowing said user to choose a character category from a first-levelselection menu, wherein said character categories include at least twoof Roman characters, Arabic numerals, Hiragana characters, Katakanacharacters, and Kanji characters; allowing said user to select anarticulation group from within said character category by scrollingthrough the first-level selection menu until a character representing adesired articulation group is within a fixed-position selection window;and allowing said user to choose a specific character from within saidarticulation group from a second-level selection menu.
 11. The method ofclaim 7 wherein the characters in said encoded single-byte text stringsrepresent the same characters as the corresponding characters in saidtwo-byte text strings.
 12. The method of claim 7 wherein the standardfont consists of characters in a single-byte format.